The Niagara News is the community newspaper of Niagara College located in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It is created and produced by the students of the Niagara College Journalism program.

Dinner reservations for one, please

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and your social media will probably blow up with cute couple photos, engagement pictures and heart emoticons.

For the single folks, turn the sad or angry CDs off, put your adult beverage down, and look at the silver linings. MONEY!

If you’re single you don’t have to buy flowers, chocolates, fancy meals and stuffed teddy bears.

Buying yourself a heart-shaped pity pizza is far cheaper than a dinner for two at a dimly lit restaurant. Thousands of people are out spending money but you can pay your bills without taking that double shift.

Chocolate. You may have to go out and buy if for yourself, but you don’t have to share! Sure a gift of sweets is a great gesture, but it’s delicious no matter who pays for it.

You can bite every piece and put back the ones you don’t like.

Eat as many as you want with no judgment, minus that voice in your head reminding you how much gym time you’ll need to work it off. No one listens to that voice anyways.

Going out? Grab some single friends and head out for a drink or a coffee. All the other singles who aren’t sitting at home watching the Wedding Singer are out trying to ignore the Hallmark holiday too.

Why not smile and chat with that barista or use a cheesy pick up line on the guy alone at the bar? Enjoy the freedom to mingle with others flying solo.

Aaron Houston, 34, has been in a relationship for four years.

“I’m personally not a fan of Valentine’s Day, but my girlfriend is,” he says. “Single people may just find it as an opportunity to party, or maybe confess their love to their crush. Either way, I’m sure both singles and couples can enjoy Valentine’s Day. They just need to keep an ‘open heart’.”

On the other side of the spectrum, Sherri Baldwin, 30, is single this Valentine’s.

“If you love someone it shouldn’t be on one day a year for heaven’s sakes! You show you appreciate someone every day not on a designated holiday getting you to buy candy flowers and diamonds.”

She continues, “More often than not, the commercialism is over done and people end up with the wrong idea. You see ads for holidays all over the place and if you don’t “buy, buy, buy” you’re the world’s worst person, it seems.”

Give some love to the most important person … yourself. Alone? No. In good company? Yes. No one knows how stressed and how desperate you are to relax better than you.